How can you tell if Alzheimer's meds are helping?

Coconut oil does more good for hearts and overall health, not dementia.

How many of you have given coconut oil, about 4 teaspoons a day for a a month or so and seen some good results without side effects? Just curious. I read of one instance that totally changed his father's life by doing this and restoring the memory.

Again folks, there is NO PILL that will erase the damages of dementia. When you see no difference, consider the side effects which could be more dangerous (dizziness - falling - breaking bones, etc.). Dementia is a terminal illness and doctors will prescribe the drugs to show they are doing something for the spouse/relative, but the end result is the same. Do not believe what you read, especially from pharmaceutical companies about side effects and efficacy. They are in business to make money.

Tarajane: I'd be interested to know what Seroquel did for your husband? My 86-year old MIL takes Namenda and has for years. Her Alzheimer's moves slowly for which we're thankful, but as everyone has said here, there's no way of knowing how it would have moved along without the Namenda.

The ongoing question, Gorlin - how do we know what our loved one would be like without the medications? From what I've read, most doctors think that the medications help slow the development of symptoms for about 30% of the people who take them. There are variations on this, but you get the drift.

Balance that information with the side effects some people suffer from and it's not always an easy choice. I've heard from people who feel that the meds have been a miracle. I've heard from people who've witnessed side effects that completely negate any good that the drugs may do.

Talk over your concerns with the doctor. If you do decide to go with the drugs, remember that there is a time when the drugs are no longer effective, so in essence, more drugs simply mean more negative side effects.

We all wish there were clear cut answers to these issues. The fact that there aren't is probably one of the hardest issues to fact. Working closely with the doctor is vital. You may want to keep a journal of daily (hourly?) moods and behaviors so that you have some track record for comparing.

Take care, Gorlin , and please update us when you can. This is a problem faced by a large percentage of caregivers in this community.
Carol

Seroquel helps behavior only. Namenda, Aricept and the patch are "suppose" to slow Alzheimer's. How can that possibly be judged?! There is no control (identical person) who it can be judged against for effectiveness. My mom almost died from multiple applications of the patch. Aricept made her feel like she had 10 cups of coffee and Namenda did virtually nothing. Big Pharma rakes in the cash for these dangerous placebos and we are all falling for it.

You can't ever prove something like this. There is no way to compare your husband's response to the meds versus no meds. The studies they've done on the meds allow comparison of control versus treated groups. There you can see if the drug has a statistical impact. But on an individual basis, no, you'll never know. I guess some folks get a noticeable bounce from the drugs but others just get worse slower. Our neurologist feels the drugs work best when the disease is caught in the early stages. Mom is in the late portion of stage 6 (7 is the end). We just started the drugs. Since stage 6 includes a general awareness and ability to interact I want to keep her there as long as possible. So we'll play the long odds and take the drugs regardless of whether or not they're working. At least the doc's said they wouldn't do her any harm. This is a terrible disease. It's sad when you start wishing for most any other death to come take its place.

When my husband started taking Seroquel it was like day and night. It is a miracle drug as far as I am concerned. He is also on Aericept but he needed something else and Seroquel is it. He started it Sept. 28 50mg, now how long he will stay at this stage is no one's guess but ask the doc if you can try that. Hang in there and stick to this forum like glue.

The meds supposedly slow the progression, and help to manage behaviors. I have had the same question, how do you know. Actually, you don't. All you can evaluate is whether it is a situation that can be tolerated. If not then different meds are tried. Then finally you find the ideal med regimen, they seem like they are getting on better. Then comes another change in behavior and start the trial and error of new meds all over again. They have taken these meds for so long, you wonder if they are doing anything at all other than filling pockets of the pharmaceutical companies. Since behaviors are manageable/tolerable then something must be working and we become afraid to stop the meds.

That is all that can really be evaluated. Do they seem to be feeling better? That is the primary goal of the meds. We all know our loved ones certainly would not be able to judge, at least in a way that required them to reason out their decision.

That is why I was so glad when my mom wen to a senior behavioral clinic. I didn't know how to answer the questions about the meds. But the pros watched her like a hawk and they knew.

My husband has taken Aricept since shortly after his diagnosis of Alzheimer's, or FTD. We have no way of knowing how things would have been if he hadn't been taking it, but will continue taking it, having faith that it is slowing things down. If he gets to a point where it's obvious it isn't helping, then we will stop.
I agree, this is a horrible position to be in, having to make these kinds of decisions and many more. Hang in there!

Not much response to this. Hard to judge. Am going for a counseling with his doctor soon and I am hopeful he can give me some direction. Thanks

What meds is your husband on?

From what I understand the medications can slow the progression of the illness down. Not cure it. Not erase the damage it's already done but just slow it down.

We have some great folks on her whose loved ones are on medications for Alzheimer's so I imagine that they'll be stopping by with their own personal experiences.